Button-feed control.



F. G. WALTZ.

BUTTON FEED CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.I0, l9l6- 1,218,139, Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

lNVENTOR FRANK G. WALTZ, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, 'ASSTGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGhTll/IENTS, TO THE. TOLEDO BUTTON MACHINE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A GORPQRATIQN OF OHIO.

BUTTON-FEED CONTROL.

acters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to means for controlling the feed of buttons from the'button containing hopper to the button feed chute or tube of a shoe button fastening machine.

The object of my invention is the pro-' vision of simple and improved control means of the character described which 1s easily and quickly adjustable both to actv as'a stop for preventing the feed of buttons from the feed hopper to the button feed chute or tube, and as a means for regulating the size of buttons permitted to be fed to the feed chute, or in other words,

only permitting buttons under a predetermined size to be delivered to the feed chute. The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred. embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the means embodying myinvention in operative button feeding relation to the associated parts of the machine, with parts of the machine broken away and in section. Fig. Q is a similar view thereof with the control means in button stop position with respect to the associated parts, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the control means and associated parts. 7

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a frame part forming a button hopper 2 in which a button raising slide 3 is mounted for'vertical reciprocatory movements being operated in any suitable manner, as is well understood in the art. The slide 3 has its top surface rearwardly inclined and provided with a longitudinally extending j I Patented Mar; e, 1917.

Application filed January 10, 1916. SeriaINo. 71,385.

groove 4 for receiving the eyes of" buttons 5, which are raised from the. bottom poi tion of the hopper bythe slide on an upward movement thereof. When the slide' '15 at the limit of its upward movement the lower front. end of the groove or race-way at registers with a corresponding groove or.

race-way 6"in the frame part 1, or upper front'portion of the hopper wall so that buttons having their eyes projected into the slide groove 4 are permitted to feed downward'and forward by gravity through the registering grooves 4-43 and into the but ton chute or tube 7, which registers with and leads downward and forward from the forward end of the frame race-Way (3, as is well understood in the art. It is customary chute may be substituted for another as 1t may be desired to feed buttons of different sizes, or for some other purpose.

-to make the chute 7 removable so that one The control means comprising my invention is illustrated, inthe present instance, as

comprising a lever member 8, which is dis posed overthe frame race-way 6 and pivoted 'to the upper portion of said frame, as at 9, for vertical rocking movements relative thereto and in vertically spaced relation to the top edge of the race-way 6. The forward end of the lever 8 is of concaved or transversely dished form to adapt it to seat down overthe top rounded surface of the button chute 7 at the rear end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1'. The opposite or rear end of the lever S is preferably transversely broadened or enlarged, as best shown in Fig. 3, and the rear edge thereof is inclined or diagonally disposed with respect to the lever axis, as at 10. The purpose of making the rear end of the lever in this form is to cause any button or buttons which may be properly positioned on the top ofthe slide 4, or the rear end portion of the grooved 7 surface of the frame 1, to be directedfrom the grooved surface or. the frame trans} versely thereof and permitted to fall back into the hopper at a side of the slide 8. In

other words, it is necessary for the buttons to have the eyes thereof projected'intothe groove 46 in order to pass from the hopper into the chute 7. If a button which is elevated by the slide 8" does not have'its eye engaged within the groove 4 thereof or does not engage within the rear end portion of the groove 6, such button'will be forcedback into the hopper by contact with the inclined rear edge 10 of the lever.

A threaded stud 11 projects upward in advance of the lever pivot 9 and at one side of the lever and extends through a registering opening in a transverse ear oreexten sion it in contact with the nut 13 during a predetermined range of adjustment of such nut.

It is evident that it it is desired to stop the feed of buttons from the hopper to the chute 7, it is only necessary to turn the nut 13 outward on the stud 11, as the spring 14L acts to raise the forward end of the lever and to lower its rear end into button obstructing iosition with respect to the groove ('3. It is also evident that the rear end of the lever may be raised any desired extent from the grooved surface of the frame to accommodate the size of button which it is desired to feed to the chute, and preventing buttons of a larger size from feeding forward through the groove 6. I

I Wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a feed hopper having a button delivery way, of a member pivoted above said way, and means operable to adjust said member with respect to said way to place it in button feeding or button stop positions, said member having its rear end shaped to direct transversely from said way buttons which are not properly positioned thereon for feeding.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a feed hopper having a button delivery way, and a chute leading from the forward end oi": said way, of a. lever member pivotally mounted over said way and adapted to rest at its forward end on the rear end portion of said chute and adapted to be adjusted to control or stop the feed or buttons through said way and into said chute, and means operable to adjust said member.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a, hopper having a button delivery way, of a feed control member pivoted over said way for vertical oscillatory movements with respect thereto, a stud projecting from a part of said member, a nut threaded onto said stud over said memher, and compression means disposed below .Jaid member in opposition to said nut.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

FRANK e. wanrz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. G. 

